6th gear

gjcavana

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I'm curious. Does anyone use 6th gear on the interstate? I have a 2017 non R GT350 and when on the interstate going around 75 MPH, 6th gear will put the RPMs at about 2200. This just feels too bogged down to me and I was wondering what people's opinions on weather or not this is bad for the engine.
 

BOOGIE MAN

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I've always thought as long as the engine's running above idle, it's fine.

If it was bad for the engine to run below 2000rpm, wouldn't the manufacturers make the idle 2001rpm?

Posts and likes are not mine.
 

nmp1

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2200 rpm is not bogged at all. Why would you not use 6th on the highway? In 5th your burning more fuel and causing more wear. In 5th you’re well over 3k rpm since 6th is the only overdrive gear. I use 6th over 50mph if I’m just putting along. Being the engine is designed to make power up high it won’t have a lot when you roll on it like a vette or viper would but it’s not terrible.
 

PhoenixM3

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On the interstate, yes I use 6th gear. Commuting to work in nice weather - no. Stay in 5th gear and listen to the exhaust sing, because exhaust valves are closed in 6th gear.....
 

ANGREY

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Firstly, yes, I use the hell out of 6th gear.

1) Cruising at 75mph in a GT350 feels wrong. Like The Rock wearing skinny jeans and a scarf wrong. Not only because there's people in all manner of grocery getter and shit boxes that will be flying by, but the car just looks at me and says "really, all this and you're going to drive 75?"

2) I have 4.09's so cruising at my preferred safe (and legal) speed tends to make phone calls impossible and long trips exhausting on my ears. I have full ARH from headers to tips, which is wonderful, but at pedestrian RPM's it's actually about as quiet as stock "normal" mode and anything above 2500 starts to begin "screaming American Eagles of Oblivion coming to takeover your town."

Before I pulled the trigger on a Magnum XL swap, I had researched and no one was (at the time) upgrading the 3160. One of my goals was to swap the 6th out for a .50 ratio. Which is what I did in my Magnum build. So now, with R spec tire height and 4.09s, my 6th gear cruising will accomplish both desires.

it'll allow me to cruise at 2k rpms at 77 mph. 2500 rpms is 96mph. So cruising at 80mph is like a cool 2100 rpms. Nice and purring and capable of having a phone call, while still not getting blown off the road by Ricky and his 5 kids and they're Uhaul truck.
 

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